Cushion side bearing



p 17, 1929- w. L. DOWNEY CUSHION SIDE BEARING Filed Feb. 23, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet Sept. 17, 1929. w. 1.. DOWNEY 1,728,336

CUSHION SIDE BEARING F iled Feb. 22;, 1926. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I III Patented Sept. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES wAL'rnn L. DOWNEY, or RICHMOND, VIRGINIA CUSHION srnn BEARING,

Application filed February 23, 1926. Serial No. 90,193.

The object of this invention is to provide body and truck bolsters, or either of them,

with cushion side bearings, which not only perform the usual functions of side bearings, but in addition take up the strains of oscillation of the car in use and prevent the sharp blow on the truck bolsters which is transmitted to the bolster springs, and thereby saves much expense in repair work and adds to the security as well as safety of the cars equipped with such cushion side bearings.

The invention consists in interposing between the body and truck bolsters boxes containing springs which are yieldingly held therein by a movable cover plate, the springs being secured within the box under compres sion and the parts being readily accessible for assembly and repair purposes, as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Fig. 1 is a top plan view; Fig. 2 a lengthwise elevation, and Fig. 3 and end elevation of the assembled parts ready for applica tion to a bolster. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken inthe plane of line 4l4, Fig.

1, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken in the plane of line 5--5, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4; showing the parts in process of assembly.

Without thereby limiting the invention to the after-mentioned details, excepting as these details are hereinafter claimed, I will proceed to explain one embodiment of my invention that may be used on freight and other cars. 1

1 is a box, which may be a casting or a forging, having the bottom 2, circumscribing wall 3, a partition 4 or any number of such partitions, where more than one spring is used, and an open top surrounded on three sides by an outwardly extending flange 5. In the instance shown, two coiled springs 6 are used and each occupies a separate chamber within the box, the partition 4 serving to divide the box, as already indicated, into as many spring pockets as there are springs. The bottom is provided wlth as many openings 7 as there are springs, and these openrugs are encircled by the bosses 8 which serve as centering devices for the springs 6.

Theopenings 9 are drain holes for the pockets.

A cover plate 10,is provided for the box, and it, has a downwardly extending and reentrant flange 11 on three sides which engages the flanges of the box when said cover plate is applied theretoby a sliding movement. The other end 12 of the cover plate is left open and extends suficiently far beyond the adjacent end of the box to receive a transversely arranged bolt 13, or other connecting medium by which the cover plate is held in place on the box; a

The flange '11 is spaced apart a distance greater than the'thickness ofthe flange 5 so as to allow the necessary rising and falling of the cover plate'to get the cushioning effect of the springs 6.

As will be seen especiallyupon reference to Fig. 1, the box and its cover plate are described on an arc of a circle to provide for the swinging movement of the car truck.

The box has at its bottom the laterally extended lugs 14, which may be buttressed against the circumferential wall of the box by the webs 15, and these lugs are adapted to receive bolts or other means by which the box is fastened to the bolster.

The springs 6 are arranged in the box under compression, and this is efiected bythe use of spring caps 16 having internally threaded portions fitted within the springs, with their threaded openings inline with the unthreaded openings 7 in the bottom of the box, and these internally threaded caps are adapted to receive bolts 17 passed up from below through the openings 7 and engaged with the caps. VVhenthe parts are thus arranged, the cover plate is put in place and fastened therein by the bolt 13, and then the bolts 17 are removed. One way of as sembling the parts is to put the spring box on the platen of a press; then put the spring or springs in the spring box; then put a spring cap on each spring, and then cause the pressto compress the spring or springs, and while so compressed the holding bolts 17 are screwed into the spring caps, andthis may be done by hand and without using a tool, and then the press is released and while the spring or springs is or are held under compression the cover plate is put in place and secured by the key bolt or other fastening 13, and then the holding bolt or bolts is or are removed, but inasmuch as they are under the tension of the spring or springs, it will be necessary to use a tool, such'as a Wrench. 7 7

Not only do the caps 16 function as just previously described, but having their threaded portions entering the springs they tend to keep the springs upright, that is to say, prevent :them from cockin Some .of .the advantages incident to .my invention are as follows In use the cushion side bearing starts at .zero and sets up retardation and cushions the oscillations, and does not allow the sharp blow .on the truck bolster to be transmitted to the bolster springs, and, therefore, the present invention overcomes the tendency of the bolster springs to go solid and break. It is designed to permit only about .a quarter of an inch side bearing clearance as the maximum, and it can be adjusted if necessary. The springs are protected by the spring .box and cannot go solid. These springs are .under sufflcient compression to eliminate any undesired kick-back, and this compression is sufficient for the .afore-mentioned retardation at the start of oscillation. It .is well known that failures in :bo'lster springs are the result of sharp blows transmitted by the weightofthe rocking car through the side bearings and bolsters, and the cushion side bearing ofthis invention will absorb these blows at the instant .theyare started. This action results approximately in twenty per centofthe load limit of the bolster springs being absorbed, and, indeed, a very considerable retardation ofthe oscillations is accomplished before the bolster springs are called upon to perform the additional work necessitated by the rolling of the car. This retardation in its infancy will set up a time element in the oscillations that will approximately decrease the critical speed three times what it is with the old constructions, and consequently puts thecritical speed of heavilyloaded cars a safe distance below normal operating speeds on railroads. Further, this cushion side bearing will alsoabsorb the sharp blows incident to former constructions, and thus prevent the breaking of the side bearings,

and will constantly reduce the blows which cause bent-and broken bolsters. It also absorbs the sharp blows that otherwise would be imposed onthe road bed, and consequently reduces maintenance costs. Furthermore,

the cushion side bearing is so designed as not to cause undue friction on track curves.

The maintenance cost of the cushion side.

hearing would be practically zero, inasmuch as the springs and castings should last the life of the ordinary car unless damaged or broken in accident.

The parts constituting the box and its cover plate and the spring caps may be cast or forged.

The spring boxes of the cushion side bearings may be bolted, riveted, welded or cast integral with the truck bolster or the body bolster or their equivalents or substitutes.

Then the car is in vertical position, the top and bottom side hearings on the body and truck bolsters :are just in contact, and without friction. iVhen one side of, the truck falls into a low joint in the track, thereby causing the opposite side of the truck to start oscillation of the body with a sharp blow, the cushioning will maintain the heavy blow to the truck, and instead of the side .of the truck striking the low joint coming up and striking the body another heavy :blow to start excessive rolling of the car body, the springs on that side willassist in putting the -.car body inproper position; but the springs in the cushion side bearing will immediately cease functioning whenthe opposite bearing comes into contact. In other words, the springs will stop functioning when the car is in upright position, thereby preventing any kick-back of one spring against the other.

lVhat I claim -is: s

'1. A cushion side bearing, comprising a spring box, a spring therein, :a cover plate, means for effectingthe connectionof the box and cover plate by a lengthwise sliding movement, and means to fasten the cover plate .upon the box to permit its up and down movement relative to the box as the spring expands and contracts.

2. A cushion side bearing, comprising a spring .box having a bottom and an open top, said top having an outwardly extending flange, extending aroundthree sides, a spring in said box, a cover plate having a downwardly extending flange :on three sides adapted to engage the flange on the :box. and a transverse bolt engaging .the box and the flange on the cover plate.

8 A cushion side bearing, comprising .a spring box having a bottom :and an open top, said top having an outwardly extending flange extending around three sides, a spring in said box, and a cover plate having a downwardly extending flange on three sides adapted to engage the flangeon the box by a length-wise sliding movement.

4. A cushion side hearing, comprising a spring box having a bottom and an open top, said top having an outwardly extending flange extending around three sides, a spring in said box. and a cover plate having a downwardly extending reentrant flange on three sides adapted to engage the WVALTER L. DOWNEY. 

